Friday, August 16, 2013

Running Arithmetic

Oregon Summer

It’s been 3,880 days since I started “running”, though I ran a lot before that official day. I’m going to pass 19,000 miles today. That’s only 4.9 miles per day. It doesn’t seem very impressive when I look at it like that. Averages are a strange statistic. Humans have an uncanny knack for distorting averages. A prolific serial killer, let’s say one that killed 45 people over the course of 10 years, would have only killed, on average, .002 people per day. I always loved the idea that, on average, every human being has one testical and one breast. People routinely ask me “how far do you run each day”, I usually mumble some vague, “oh, it depends on the day”. I think, for a while, I’ll answer “4.89, even on days off”.

I don’t know if I’ll make it to 20,000 before the end of the year. I’d only need to average a little over 7 miles per day, which doesn’t seem that tough. I’ll get a little ahead of that pace building up to Le Grizz in October, but I also know my body will want a little wind down after. I think I’m getting close enough to start a projection spreadsheet for arriving at 24,901, once around the Earth. Something says that 24,901st mile needs to finish “somewhere”, but I’m not sure where that would be. The ocean......well, AN ocean, makes sense. My birthplace makes sense. Someplace I’ve never been to before makes sense. Fortunately, I’ve got a little time to think about it. 1,039 days, actually, unless I pick up the pace.